Gas concrete saws are used in very harsh environments. Concrete saws are typically provided with a water cooling system that sprays water in the area of the concrete saw blade so that the water can cool the blade and can further reduce the amount of dust created by the sawing process. Very often, these types of concrete saws are used without the water cooling feature because of environmental “run off” issues, lack of water supply, or the extra hassle of connecting to a water supply. Without the water cooling, the tool creates a very dusty environment in which the tool must operate. Engine compression of the gas concrete saws is quickly lost if the air is not filtered before entering the engine. Therefore, most gas concrete saws are provided with filters and many have several layers of filters to clean the air.
There are several problems with the filtration systems in place today. These problems include the filters clogging frequently without the user having a good way of knowing how clogged the filter is. The only indication is from the performance drop off of the tool. The user has to open up the tool to clean the filter with some portions requiring tools for obtaining access to the filter. Furthermore, there are no lock-offs to prevent the user from running a tool without a filter. This can be especially important to a tool rental shop because the users may not understand the importance of the filters, and the rental tools can be permanently damaged if used improperly.
Accordingly, the present invention provides systems for allowing the user to inspect and/or determine how much dust is accumulated in a filter. In addition, manual filter cleaners are provided to allow the user to easily clean the filter without needing to open up the tool. In addition, the system is provided to deactivate the tool or notify the user if no filter is being utilized, or the filter is damaged. The system can also provide system lock out in the case of a missing or damaged filter. In addition, automatic methods are also provided to allow cleaning of the filter.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.